Charmed 1998 vs Charmed 2018

Hi everyone! I really enjoyed my To All The Boys I've Loved Before comparison, so I thought I'd do another one. I watched the first season of each show, so I'll be giving my overall thoughts on the first season of each show, and then do a little character comparison. 

Charmed [1998]

Summary: After their grandmother's death, sisters Prue [Shannen Doherty], Piper [Holly Marie Combs] and Phoebe [Alyssa Milano] inherit magical powers and learn of their duty to protect the innocent. 

My Thoughts: Charmed is one of those shows that's just a lot of fun, and they come up with a lot of interesting and entertaining magic-related plots [like the episode where Prue casts a truth spell, the one where Phoebe uses her powers to get a job as a psychic, the one where the sisters travel back in time and the one where Prue clones herself]. 

All of the Halliwell sisters are interesting and entertaining in their own ways, and their actresses all have really great chemistry. They also have a very believable sibling dynamic, and I like seeing a show focused a lot on sisters. As someone in a family of three sisters, it's especially fun for me. 

I also love the lore that has to do with the girls' powers. I thought that was very interesting.

Oh, and I also adore Grams. She's the best. 

There's also something very comforting about Charmed. I can't really explain it better. 

Of course, Charmed isn't perfect. The special effects are laughably bad, for one. 

In my opinion, Charmed is slightly cheesy, but a lot of fun. 

Charmed [2018]

Summary: After their mother's tragic death, Mel [Melonie Diaz] and Maggie Vera [Sarah Jeffrey] find out that they have another sister, Macy [Madeleine Mantock] and magical powers. The characters are all fairly interesting and it has a season-long story arc, which is pretty interesting. There are also quite a few lighthearted, goofy episodes episodes just like the original [like the one where Macy and Harry get stuck in her favorite TV show].One thing I love about Charmed is that it doesn't just copy the original. The sisters are all different from the sisters in the original, and the plots and general vibe of the show are different.  Charmed does have some issues of its own, though. One of those is that, in the first few episodes, it suffers from Middle-Age Adults Trying To Imitate Teen/Young Adult Text Lingo But It An Actual conversation, but, fortunately, that gets better after the first few episodes. One thing that I noticed was there are quite a few similarities to Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as the original Charmed. 

For example, the whitelighter in this show, Harry, is more like a Watcher who looks out for the Charmed ones and acts as a mentor, whereas Leo, the whitelighter from the original, is more like a guardian angel. There's also an Elders council, which is very similar to the Watcher's Council. The Charmed reboot is a perfectly fine show, even though I don't think it's as good as the original.

Character Comparison: Prue Halliwell and Macy Vaughn

Prue is the oldest sister, an art historian, and her power is telekenisis. 

Prue is one of those characters who I didn't think I'd like when I first watched the show. 

Bossy older sister characters typically aren't my favorite, but I found myself liking her more and more as I watched the show. She's a smart, driven woman, and I can actually kind of relate to her workaholism [shhh, it's a word, don't question it]. I like her protective streak and her sarcastic, quippy side. She has her flaws, like her bossiness, self-righteousness and tendency to push herself way too hard,  and her strengths, like her intelligence, her bravery, and how much she cares for her sisters, and is a pretty balanced character overall. Her power is also super awesome [wouldn't we all like to move things with our minds?].

Macy has several key similarities to Prue, but she's very different, too. 

She and Prue both have the same power, they both work in academic jobs [though Macy is a scientist, not an art historian], and they're both usually quite serious and sensible. Macy is much less bossy than Prue, which is probably because she didn't grow up with Mel and Maggie, and doesn't have as much control as Prue does. 

I like Macy overall. She's smart, logical and usually a very caring person. One thing that I'm very iffy about when it comes to Macy is her half-demon storyline. It was a little too Riverdale-ish for me [not saying it's a bad plot, just not my thing]. 

Piper Halliwell and Mel Vera

Piper is the middle sister. She works as a chef and her power is freezing time. I really like Piper as a character. She's a very sweet, caring person and acts as the mediator between Prue and Phoebe. She has her own flaws of course-----namely her neuroticism and her struggles with standing up for herself, but she's a good person overall. Her power is also pretty cool, and it's a little more unusual-----you don't see many time-freezers in fiction. 

Mel and Piper probably differ the most. While Piper is shy and meek, Mel is very brash and assertive. Piper is the most hesitant to accept being a witch, Mel is the quickest to embrace it. Their jobs are very different, too----Mel is a grad student and Gender Studies major. I like Mel quite a bit, though she does annoy me sometimes. I admire her spunk, her determination and the way she doesn't care what other people think of her. I also love how she embraces her witchy destiny so wholeheartedly. 

Phoebe Halliwell and Maggie Vera

Phoebe is the youngest of the family, and her power is premonitions. Phoebe ended up being my favorite character. I love her bubbly, friendly energetic personality, and how determined she is. I also love how she just instantly accepts the fact that she's a witch. I also like her optimism and the fact that she knows martial arts. Of course, even though she's my favorite, Phoebe definitely isn't perfect. She can be very irresponsible and impulsive and has a tendency to meddle in other people's business.

Maggie has a very friendly, bubbly personality much like Phoebe, and she's also the most quick to forgive people, again, like Phoebe. 

However, unlike Phoebe, she wants to live a normal life and she's a fashionista and sorority girl, whereas Phoebe is more of a free spirited, troublemaker type. Her power is also different. Instead of having premonitions, she reads minds. 

Maggie is my favorite of the sisters on the new Charmed. I love her sweet, friendly personality, I can relate to her worries about her intelligence and I like how she averts the ''mean, popular sorority girl'' trope. She's girly and popular but she's definitely not ditzy or mean. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, I prefer the original Charmed, but the reboot is quite good, too, and you could watch either one without seeing the other. 

Have you seen Charmed? If so, who's your favorite sister? If not, do you want to? Which power would you want to have: premonitions, telekenisis, mind reading or freezing time?